Shards of the Obsession
by Sikudhani
Summary: The crew of the Enterprise are faced with an enemy they can not begin to explain. Only two years into the second five year mission remnants of Khan are beginning to show their faces in the form of grey eyed children. Children who posses abilities and intellect far beyond that of Khan, but something about them isn't quite sound. Everyone will be present in these adventures.


**_Authors note: I own nothing but the characters I create for this story._**

* * *

_Fascinating'_

Would be one word to describe the scene that lay before Spock's eyes. The mountains of Terris 5 were azure with purple jagged lines running perpendicular around it. That coupled with the orange topped tree like formations at its base it created a unique visual that the Vulcan had never seen before. If he were to express it Spock would've been jumping for joy at the aspect of it all. The scientist within him wanted to go down and test the hydrogen, oxygen, and mineral levels within the mountain to learn how a blue such as this could be possible. Though the mission parameters state they are to settle down in a nearby clearing and assist with the evacuation and medical assistants of the worlds handful of inhabitants. Turning his head he watched is fellow officers place their helmets on, McCoy; who fought tooth and nail to stay aboard the _Enterprise_ grumbled. He didn't like the thought of having to walk around in Terris 5's atmosphere and stated that if even a tiny pin prick were to rip in his suit he would suffocate in less than a minute. Spock commented that in fact it would take 4.5 minutes to pass out from the high level of oxygen and another 3.4 minutes for his body to completely shut down. McCoy glared at him and mutter something under his breath before shoving his helmet on.

Others that occupied him in the landing party were Lieutenant Reves; A tall broad-shouldered German and a member of the security team, Ensign Felis; a very young female Caitian with piercing yellow eyes, a sharp set of canines with a specialty in low level gravity combat. Lieutenant Sulu was asked to pilot the shuttle because of his expert piloting skills. Then there was Lieutenant Uhura, the majority of the inhabitants didn't speak federation standard and with the possibility of some of them being injured thus unable to have one of their own interpreters at hand it was a logical choice for Uhura to accompany the away team.

Terris 5, despite its beautiful aesthetics is not very habitual, its oxygen levels are too high but its gravity is greater'; only a few kilograms more than that of Vulcan Prime._ Precisely 10.23 kilograms_ Spock thought as their shuttle made its descent to the landing site. He shifted his head to the others and he's eyes fell on Lieutenant Uhura. Uhura or Nyota didn't have extensive combat training and with her small frame he surmised that it might be difficult on her person to travel around the dense gravity, even with her specially equipped suit. Uhura's eyes flickered over toward him, she felt his apprehension and sent calm insurance waves over their bond. _'I will be fine k'diwa'_ she said through their link. Then placed her own helmet on and pressed a few buttons on her arm pad to adjust the suit to her body type. The shuttle started to shake trying to stay level in the pull of the plants gravity but Sulu managed to land it with grace.

They felt the greater pull of the planet as they landed, even in their special equipped suits they still felt immediately sluggish as the shuttle doors opened. Sulu himself had his own suit on but he would not be exiting the shuttle craft. "Mr. Sulu please keep all com-frequencies clear, I shall inform you when we are ready to depart"

"Aye Sir" Sulu replied and flicked a few switches and buttons on the conceal.

The first out was Spock, being Vulcan he could adapt to the gravity faster than the others so he took this time to pull out his tricorder and analyze the surround area. Reves followed shortly behind him landing on the ground with a great THUD, he rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck trying to show that the low gravity didn't bother him in the least. Spock thought that such show of bravado was unwarranted and would cause him to tired out faster, and with a quick look from him the Lieutenant straighten and became more professional. Ensign Felis shook her head at him as both she and Uhura exited the shuttle followed closely behind by McCoy who, even though his shaded helmet, looked less than enthused about their walk on Terris 5.

"I still don't see why we couldn't just beam directly into the compound" McCoy was affixing a medical bag to his back, of course he knew the medical risks but he still has some reservations and making the green bloodied commander twitch even the slightest at his difficultly was worth the question.

Spock looked at his tricorder with kneaded brows, he was getting a reading he did recognize. Closing it he decided to analyze this information as soon as he returned to the Enterprise and placed his tricorder in a pocket at his hip. "Since its distress call we..." Spock turned slightly towards the doctor. "...have not been in contact with the researchers within the compound so we would not, as Terrans would say _'Know what we are walking into'. _We run the risk of bringing any number of the illnesses abroad beaming back. Thus we logically reduce the possibility of undue harm to the away team and the rest of the Enterprises crew, something I'm sure your aware of doctor" _Backfired._ McCoy huffed and Uhura suppressed a laugh as they walked towards the location of the compound.

They walked along a mostly flat path but their felt still fell heavy on the ground causing the dirt to kick up, it swirled around the group as they neared the compound. The compound was completely metal and stood almost eerily like against its the colorful surroundings. It was composed of a very strong material that was reinforced with a powerful shield so it wouldn't buckle in the planets gravity and curved into a dome shape that seemed to stretch backwards for a few feet. Initial scans of the compound showed the majority of it to be underground, Spock thought it strange for a research facility that specialized in the effects dense gravity had a different types of plant life to be underground. He felt his scientific mind go into work in deciphering how such work could be possible as they all reached the entrance.

* * *

A small Andorian male when flying across the floor, the lights within the facility had been damaged so there was only a faint dim of the science equipment not attached to the compounds main energy source. They flickered as the male hit the ground with a groan of pain "Please...you must understand..." he stopped and coughed up blood on the floor. A shadowed figure stood in the doorway, he was tall and almost took up its entire space. His hands were clasped behind his back and his teeth shinned a sadistic grin. Behind him stood another figure this one smaller than him, she wore a white medical gown and her long and dark hair cascaded all around her lowered head. Though if one would look closely at her head they would see a small white bean shaped device attached to the side of her head just behind her right ear, it flashed various colors. The man in front of her suddenly shifted his face into a grimaced as he entered into the room and grabbed the Anordian male by the throat.

"No..." his voice was deep and dark. "...you must understand...my boss isn't happy with the current events and thus has decided to end our agreement" he gripped the man's throat harder. The girls fingers twitched but she made no real move.

The Adorian gasped for air. "We...I...had no...choice...too much contamination..." he released the man and let him fall the floor gasping for air. Rubbed his now severely bruised throat and looked up at the darken man with wide eyes. "They became airborne, too many of us had become sick! There was no other way...the Federation... " there was a sharp kick to his stomach and he double over in pain.

"You were to contact us if anything went awry...not the _Federation_" he spat the last word out like venom then clenched his fist making his bone crack.

"It would've been..." his words were cut short by a swift kick to his head knocking him unconscious. From behind him the girl turned her head to the side, her hair fell down reveling a very wide gray eye.

"They have arrived..." she said in a whispered tone. Turning her head back she looked upon the unconscious blue male on the floor and tilted her head to the side then quickly corrected it as the dark man turn towards her. He sighed running his hand through his hair.

"Looks like I got carried away again..." he turned to the man. "Can't remove him...or kill him at this point" the man's demeanor seemed to have changed dramatically. He turn his wrist over and began punching a few buttons on a small pad. "Time to go" he said looking up at the girl, she moved almost fluidly across the floor towards him her hair covering her face again. Soon they both were enveloped in the bright swirling lights of a transporter leaving the unconscious Andorian where he lay.

* * *

Spock and Reves had begun to analyzed the force-field, they were determining how to enter without alerting the security system when it suddenly dropped and the doors flew opened. Reves looked at Spock and when Spock nodded he pulled out his phaser and enter the compound slowly followed by Reves, Uhura, McCoy, and then Felis. The doors closed behind them and the decompressing unit activated making the oxygen and gravity levels safe enough for them. Spock checked the pad on his wrist then turned to the others. "It is safe" he began to push more buttons on his arm along with the others and heard the hisses as their suits adjusted to the new atmosphere of the compound. They set their helmets to adjust to the lighting inside then made their way towards the next door. The entrance of the compound was simple in design, it held a few rooms off to either side that served as a decontamination stations, and one that look to be a basic medical bay.

"For a place such as this you would think their Med-Bay would be better equipped" Uhura commented to McCoy as they passed the room.

"Took the words right out of my mouth darlin'" McCoy had to admit it was strange, very strange. The scientists working here dealt with some pretty dangerous plants and chemicals, he would've thought that the med-bay would be twice as big. Quickly scanning the room he noted that there was only two small bio beds and equipment only meant for DNA scans. Something about this didn't feel right, it hadn't felt right as soon as he heard of Terris 5 its distress call.

* * *

"We were assigned this mission because of how close were are to Terris 5, and your _Chief Medical Officer_ which means..." Kirk was cut off by McCoy exasperated sigh and look of irritation.

"Yeah, yeah, Hippocratic Oath and mission parameters...I know.." he looked at the PADD that lay on his desk. The distress call from Terris 5 stated that majority or all of the scientist had contracted several different illness and diseases, some of which were near impossible for them to have in on that planet. He looked back up at Kirk who sat leaned back in one of the two chairs in his office. "...what I don't know nor understand is how all these illness and disease could just pop up in a facility that only dealt with plants! Something about this doesn't sit right with me Jim..." he pushed the pad away and folded his arms across his chest shaking his head.

"Believe me I know Bones..." he moved the PADD over to him and looked at the details of the illness reported to Starfleet, he too had some questions about why events unfolded as they did on Terris 5. Sighing he stood up and slapped McCoy on his shoulder. "No reason to grip we'll be there in two hours, the medical ship will rendezvous with us shortly after to assist the situation. Time to get ready" He flashed a smile and left McCoy's office.

After a few minutes McCoy got up and walked into the main medical area, he saw a few nurses working on some hypo sprays for the mission to Terris 5. His head nurse Christine Chapel was bent over a computer typing, he walked over and peered at her work. "How goes the preparations?" Christine looked up at him and blushed slightly at how near he was to her back.

"I'm just finishing the basic information input of all the illnesses and diseases reported to Starfleet, they should be ready within the next hour..." she stopped and sighed. "This all seems so wrong..." she stated staring at the long list in front of her and almost wanted to cry, there were only a handful of these that had no real cure or treatment.

McCoy shifted so he was now leaning against the table, arms crosses at his chest. "I know, but the only thing we can do is our job..." Over the next hour Kirk called a meeting of the senior officers and that's when McCoy found out that they were taken a shuttle down and would be wearing special suits. Normally he wouldn't complain about not having his molecules rearranged but the thought of the suit ripping and him suffocating caused him to stir up quite a commotion in the meeting. After a few more moments he was defeated by that hobgoblins unyielding logic and Uhura's kind words of reassurance...today was going to be wonderful.

* * *

They entered the next door with a hiss of its mechanics, the scene beyond the door was something from 20th century Earth's horror movies. Various bodies of scientist lay either sitting up against the wall or laying down on the floor, the lights were dim and there seemed to be bodily fluids spewed everywhere. Ensign Felis scrunched her nose up at the sight and was thankful for the breathing apparatus of the suits, her sensitive nose would have betrayed her as soon as they entered the hall.

McCoy heard a grown then dropped to the first Scientist on the floor; a human male with graying brown hair. On the surface he seemed to be normal but scans from his medical tricorder showed he was suffering from an advance case of the Adorian Flu which meant; he's fever is too high for him to sweat and his heart rate was on dangerous levels. He looked to his side and saw the others making scans as well, he was glad they all were outfitted with a basic medical tricorder with the information Nurse Chapel programmed them with. Though the simple scans weren't going to help these people, McCoy was heading to the next person when his communicator beep.

"Kirk to McCoy"

"McCoy here" he replied moving to the next person.

"The Medical Vessel _Galen_ has just exited warp and are asking for a run down of the Scientist conditions" McCoy's eye brown kneaded together.

"The _Galen_?" McCoy asked with a little hesitation.

"That's what I said, is there a problem Bones?" Kirk asked.

"No..." he said quickly. "...it's not looking good Captain, I can tell you that much" He paused shaking his head, the _Galen_ _'Oh joy, today must be my lucky day'_ he thought. "Tell them we will send all the information as we make the scans..." McCoy was now scanning a female Andorian with green spots that were all over her body.

"Noted...they also stated that because of the number of infected they can only take the severe cases and leave the less severe to us" McCoy grimaced.

"Got cha', McCoy out" He turned towards everyone, they had moved down the hall and into the adjoining rooms making good progress. He had just stood up from the Andorain woman when she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Please...you must" she said in a weaken voice. Then she rolled her head to the side and said something in her own language, she had a fever and it must be affecting her mind at this point. McCoy called to Uhura who hurried over, knelling down and listened with skilled ears as the woman spoke. It took longer than it normally would because the woman spoke as if she was out of breath. Then Uhura's eyes went wide, the woman finished and slumped over.

McCoy looked at her surprised then started to scan her again, with a small sigh a relief he realized she has just passed out. "What did she say?" he looked to Uhura.

Uhura sat the woman back down carefully. "She said we must stop him, that is was his doing..."

"What? Who's doing?" McCoy asked looking back at the woman.

"She didn't say..." Uhura bit her bottom lip in confusion, she hated being confused but she couldn't do much about it now. Even though the woman was weaken she still heard fear in her voice as she spoke.

"Well we should worry about getting her treated then we can ask questions 'cause I sure as hell could use a dozen" Uhura nodded to him and left to finish her scans of the people in the halls before moving off into one of the rooms.

* * *

Upon entering her third room Uhura had, in that short time, suppress her gag reflex. Now looking at a older black human female chocking on her own blood she felt great sorrow for these people. She felt bad for the state that some of them were in and the amount of suffering, it all seemed unreal. Any outbreak of a illness or diseases warranted some bad reactions in the people afflicted but this was nothing compared to the Xeno-Biology class she had to take a the Academy. No. This was one hundred times worse, it was like these people were exposed to a ultra strain of each disease and illness.

Shaking off her own anger that was beginning to grow she turned and watched Spock enter into the room, the others were further down the halls attending to the rest of the scientists. "Are you finished?" She asked then looked to the woman and bit her lip a surge of sadness enveloping her, this woman remained her of her mother. She too had suffered through an incurable illness and Uhura had to watch her mother slowly deteriorate then die. It was then that Spock placed his arm around her shoulders and lifted her up to him in a embrace. "There is no need to feel such sadness, they all will receive the most expert medical care" he sent calm waves through their bond. She nodded and squeezed his arm tightly feeling herself calm down, Spock released her gently. She wished they didn't have these suits on so she could feel her skin against his. Spoke rose a brow. "That would be unwise as we too would be affected by the many ailments within this facility" She grinned that brow always seemed to cause her joy. Spock read her true intentions through the link, and the sides of his mouth quirked a bit. They both walked out of the room and met Reves and Felis as they finished.

During that time McCoy alerted both the _Enterprise_ and the medical Vessel the _Galen_ of which scanned scientists needed to be transported where. After almost two hours the majority of the of scientists had been transported to their respectful ship based on their illness and disease via shuttles. When the landing crew from the _Galen_ came into the compound they had bio beds with their own force-fields to protect the scientists from Terris 5 atmosphere. The _Galen_ brought down and extra shuttle to transport the less affected scientists to the _Enterprise_, only three had been boarded onto the shuttle to the _Enterprise_ and twelve had been placed on the _Galen_'s shuttle.

Only the a handful were left and they were deep within the compounds lower grounds. Those were the senior scientist that worked on the more dangerous plants, going down there would not be a walk in the park. McCoy was grateful they had Reves and Felis or damn his Hippocratic Oath would force him down there by himself, he was no coward but he still didn't like walking into an unknown situation without some help.

They all convened at the high security level door, the warning lights were flashing along the doors side. Spock put in an override code and the door slide open slowly, heavy smoke flew towards them and fell to their feet. Inside they saw a turbo lift, it was heavily damaged and of no use to them but luckily there were a set of stair just to the left. Taking the first steps Reves heading towards the stairs phaser lifted; shortly followed by McCoy, Spock, Uhura, and Felis, they descended the stairs.

* * *

I went back and edited a lot of things, some grammar and misspellings. I also added somethings that I forgot, none of which changes the flow of the story but I think it make a little bit more sense now.


End file.
